Market Hall Cinema, Brynmawr

This is Wales’ oldest cinema. It has shown films since 1911. It is now named after the Market Hall which was built here in 1844 and rebuilt later that century. The first films shown at the hall were probably projected by travelling showmen.

Aerial view of Brynmawr in 1949 with cinema and stationWhen the building was converted into a permanent cinema in 1911, the front rows of seats were designed to be removed every Friday night. Trestle tables were laid out for the Saturday market, after which the wooden floor was disinfected – but the smell of discarded produce would linger through the afternoon matinee film!

The distinctive frontage was added in the 1930s as part of an extension which included an outer foyer and a projection room for the latest equipment. The arch of the original entrance can still be seen, separating the outer and inner foyers. In the 1970s the auditorium was reduced to create space for an indoor market, in the area now occupied by the library.

In the 1949 aerial photo, courtesy of the Welsh Government, the cinema is prominent near the centre. In the bottom right corner is the railway station.

A community group took over the cinema’s operation in June 2013, after the local authority proposed to close the hall.

Brynmawr Amateur Operatic Society stages its annual productions here. A service is held here on Remembrance Sunday each year, relayed by loudspeakers to people by the war memorial outside.

Postcode: NP23 4AJ View Location Map

Website of Market Hall Cinema